Mechanical device



May 8, 1962 Filed July 9, 1959 D. E. SUTTON MECHANICAL DEVICE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. DONALDESUTTON' ATTO/PNEYS Won m1; 6AM

y 1962 D. E. SUTTON MECHANICAL DEVICE I 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 9, 1959 INVENTOR. DONALD E.SUTTON ATTOPNEYS aent fihce 3,032,943 Patented May 8, 1362 3,032,940 MECHANICAL DEVICE Donald E. Sutton, Comstock Township, Kalamazoo County, Mich, assignor to Hammond Machinery Builders, Inc., Kalamazoo, Mich., a corporation of Michigan Filed July 9, 1959, Ser. No. 826,000 7 Claims. (Cl. 51267) This invention relates to a combined collector of drop let laden air and a pump for a machine tool and it relates particularly to such a device built as a single unit for close association with said machine tool, requiring a minimum amount of floor space and capable of being supplied at a minimum of cost.

It has been common practice for a great many years to supply some type of coolant to the Working area of a grinding wheel and to a workpiece used therewith. More recently, in connection with electrolytic grinding, such coolant has been replaced by an electrolyte which is supplied to the working face of the grinding Wheel in substantially the same manner as was carried out previously with respect to a coolant. Various kinds of pumps have been utilized for circulating such coolant, said pumps and their associated motors and reservoirs frequently being placed on the floor adjacent the grinding machine.

Likewise, it has been the practice for some time to provide a hood over, or in the region of, the grinding wheel and to provide evacuating means in association with said hood for drawing off into a suitable collector the droplet laden air, or mist, which is commonly generated by the wheel from the coolant or the electrolyte, and which otherwise may escape from the machine and subject the operator to discomfort as well as wet the surrounding floor area. The low pressure producing means, together with an appropriate driving motor, which is utilized with such air withdrawing system have commonly been made as separate units and have also been placed on the floor adjacent a grinding machine in operative association therewith.

Thus, the prior practice of utilizing two completely separate units, together with their separate motors and electrical supply and control systems has been relatively expensive to provide and has utilized a rather substantial amount of floor space alongside of the machine. Accordingly, in order to minimize the total cost of a unit of grinding equipment to the customer, it has long been desirable to provide both the motor and the air withdrawing apparatus in a single unit by which to reduce the manufacturing cost of the entire piece of equipment, to reduce the floor space required for same and to render simpler the return of the collected liquid from the droplet laden air into the coolant or electrolyte system.

Further in this same direction has been the problem of motor control. The grinding wheel'is in many cases operated in one rotative direction or the other according to the type of work being done. On the other hand, blowers and pumps are usually irreversible and hence driven from their own respective motors. Thus, it has normally been necessary to have separate controls for the pump motor, the blower motor and the grinding motor and, because of the requirements of both public and industrial safety authorities, it has usually been necessary to have completely separate control units for each of these motors. Since control units are expensive, this need for more than one of them adds appreciably to the cost of the machine. On the other hand, because of the frequent reversing of the grinding wheel motor, and the conventional irreversibility of the blower and/or pump motor, it has not previously been considered practicable to operate all of these motors from the same control box.

Accordingly, the objects of the invention are the following:

(1) To provide a combined collecting apparatus for droplet laden air and a coolant pump for use with a coolant and/ or electrolyte utilizing machine tool.

(2) To provide a device, as aforesaid, comprising a single unit which can be made at a cost substantially reduced as compared to previous costs for units performing equivalent functions.

(3) To provide apparatus, as aforesaid, utilizing a minimum of fioor space.

(4) To provide apparatus, as aforesaid, wherein the apparatus for withdrawing the droplet laden air and the coolant pump have a common motor for driving both thereof and all are superimposed vertically above each other whereby to minimize the floor space required for apparatus performing the functions herein concerned.

(5) To provide apparatus, as aforesaid, in which the collected liquid from the droplet laden air is returned directly into the reservoir from which the pump is supplied.

(6) To provide apparatus, as aforesaid, which is of sufficient simplicity that it can be manufactured and sold at an extremely low cost.

(7) To provide apparatus, as aforesaid, which is of the simplicity above mentioned but which will still function effectively and with a minimum of maintenance requirements.

(8) To provide apparatus, as aforesaid, which will function effectively regardless of the direction of rotation of the motor, whereby the motor for the combined pump and collector can be operated in direct association with the grinder motor and a single starting switch and single reversing switch will thereby be required for the entire system. This will improve the convenience of operation of the equipment and at the same time reduce its cost.

(9) To provide apparatus, as aforesaid, in which the air withdrawn from the region of the grinding wheel may be readily directed toward filters, bafiles, or to the outdoors as desired in a given instance with only very minor and easily made modifications in the equipment.

Other objects and purposes of the invention will be apparent to persons acquainted with equipment of this general type upon a reading of the following disclosure and inspection of the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a top view of the apparatus embodying the invention.

FIGURE 2 is an elevational view of said apparatus.

FIGURE 3 is a sectional view taken on the line III-III of FIGURE 1 and showing somewhat schematically an elevational sectional view of the grinding equipment with which the apparatus of the invention is used and indicating the manner of connecting said grinding equipment to the apparatus of the invention.

FIGURE 4 is a sectional view taken on the line IV-IV of FIGURE 1.

FiGURE 5 is a sectional view taken on the line V-V of FIGURE 3.

FIGURE 6 is a sectional view taken on the line VIVI of FIGURE 3.

FIGURE 7 is a schematic view illustrating another aspect of the invention.

In the following description certain terminology will be used for convenience of reference but it will be understood that such use is descriptive only and not limiting. For example, the terms rightward and leftward and derivatives thereof and words of similar import will be used to refer to directions rightward and leftward as appearing in the drawings or in a particular drawing in connection with which such terminology is being used. The

terms upward and downward and derivatives thereof and'words of similar import will be used to denote directions with respect to the apparatus in its normal position of use. The terms inward and outward and derivatives thereof and words of similar import will be used to denote directions away from or toward the geometric center of the apparatus or a portion thereof where said terminology is used.

The term liquid will when the context permits be used to refer to a mere coolant utilized with a grinding wheel of conventional, non-electrolytic, form and it will also refer, to an electrolyte that is utilized in connection with an electrolytic type of grinding apparatus.

General Description In general, the apparatus consists of a unitary structure having a liquid-receiving reservoir in the lower portion thereof and an air-directing housing placed immediately above said reservoir. A pump placed within the reservoir and a blower placed within said housing are mounted on a single shaft and are driven by a single motor. Where it is desired to have the condensate from the droplet laden air returned to the coolant supply, the means collecting said droplets is placed above a portion of said reservoir. The conduit-conducting, droplet laden air from the region adjacent the grinding wheel is applied to the inlet side of said blower. The outlet of the blower goes to said droplet-collecting device from whence the collected droplets are returned to the reservoir. The outlet from said pump and the return to said reservoir areconnected as desired to the coolant and/or electrolyte handling apparatus associated with said grinding wheel.

Detailed Description Turning now to the drawings in more detail there is illustrated therein one specific embodiment employing the principles of the invention, illustrating the construction of the machine in question and illustrating its manner of operation.

The apparatus comprises a tank 1, of preferably generally rectangular shape, and open at its top. Within said tank is placed a casing 2 in and on which the apparatus of the invention is mounted. The lower end of said casing is provided with a large opening 3 through which liq uid communicates with the pump mentioned hereinafter fromthe reservoir provided by said tank and it is further provided with an opening 4 through which air is discharged as will be seen hereinafter. An overlapping fla'nge6 is provided on the casing 2 overlapping the upper edge of the tank 1 in order to hold casing 2 in position in tank 1.

A- bracket 7 extends inwardly from the inside surface of the lower parts of the casing 2 and is fastened thereto in any convenient manner such as by welding. A pump housing 8 is secured to the lower side of said bracket 7 and opening 9 is provided in the bracket 7. A pump outlet 11 is also provided which, as best appearing in FIGURE 6, is in at least one form of the device substantially centered with respect to the periphery of said pump. Thus, the rotation of said pump impeller 12, centrally located within the pump chamber 13 of said pump, will permit discharge from said pump to take place regardless of the direction in which the pump is rotating. A partition 14 is provided within the casing 2 immediately above the highest liquid level normally attained or permitted within said reservoir to prevent liquid from being drawn upwards by blower wheel. This partition has four corner openings 16, 17, 18 and 19 (FIGURES and ,6) to allow liquid collecting on the blower wheel and inside the blower housing to drain into reservoir.

A plate 21 is spaced above the partition 14 and cooperates'with a blower scroll 23 to define a housing for the blower. The plate 21 has a large central opening22 therein constituting an air inlet for the blower and the scroll 23 defines an outlet for the blower communicating with the outlet opening 4. The blower housing is arranged in a generally circular shape within the space immediately above the partition 14 and substantially coaxial with the pump 12. The blower housing is, however, 0&- set sidewardly from the center of the casing 2 (FIGURES 1 and 4) so as to provide a chamber 25 communicating with the zone between the plate 21 and the partition 14.

A top 26 is arranged across the upper end of the casing 2 and at least in the embodiment herein utilized to illustrate the invention, includes an extension 27 extending substantially to one side of said casing.

The top is also provided with at least one opening 30 to provide an inlet into the chamber 25 from outside the casing 2. More such openings may be provided if desired, as the additional opening 30a.

The motor support plate 28 is supported on and by the top 26 and supports a bracket 29 on which is mounted a motor 31. The motor shaft 32 extends downwardly from said motor through an opening 33 in said motor plate 28 and extends through the air inlet opening 22, the opening 34 in the partition 14 and the opening 9 in the bracket 7. The blower 36 is supported for rotation on the motor shaft 32 within the chamber defined by the scroll 23 between the plate 21 and the motor support plate 28. A pump impeller 12 is received onthe lower end ofthe shaft 32 within the pump housing 8.

The extension 27 in this embodiment is provided with a skirt 37 extending downwardly toward the reservoir on the three sides which cooperate with the side of the casing 2 in which the opening 4 is located to define a chamber 38. The length of said skirt 37 is such that it becomes substantially coplanar in a horizontal plane with the top of the reservoir 1, although thiscan vary somewhat as desired. Thus, air exhausting from the blower will pass through the chamber 38 toward the liquid in the reservoir and then out through the opening 39.

Obstructions 41 and 42 may, if desired, be provided within the chamber 38 for collecting thereon liquid entrained in the air stream passing therethrough and said liquid will as it gathers on the baffies drip back into the body of liquid in said reservoir. Said obstructions may be bafiies, filters or both, as desired.

The apparatus as thus described may be utilized with any and many types of grinding devices but the. grinder shown schematically in FIGURE 3 will sufiiciently illustrate the use thereof. It will be understood, however, that said grinder is presented herein solely for illustrative purposes and to assist in understanding the invention and the apparatus of the invention is in no. sense limited to the useof a grinder of this particular type.

Referring to FIGURE 3, a face-type grinding wheel 61 is supported on andfor rotation with a shaft 62 which is driven in any convenient manner, by means not shown. A table 63 supports in a conventional manner'a work holder 64 which in turn supports a, workpiece W as desired in contact with the face of the grinding Wheel 61. A hood.

structure surrounds said grinding wheel and in this embodiment consists of a partition 66 and. a cover 67, together with suitable side'members ofwhich one is indicated at 69. A pan 68 is placed under the grinding wheel 61 and table 63 for collecting liquid utilized with the.

grinding operation. A conduit schematically indicated at 71 extends from the discharge pipe 11 of the pump to a pipe 72 by which same is directed into the desired location on and with respect to the face of the grinding wheel 61. A return pipe 73 extends from the pan 68 to the reservoir 1. An air conduit 74 provides-communication between the region surroundingthe grinding wheel 61 and the intake opening 30. from ,whiclrair may be drawn into the inlet side of the blower.

Operation While the operation of the apparatus above described has been somewhat indicated along with the description above set forth, said operation will be herewith summarized for the purpose of presenting a complete disclosure.

Energizing of the motor 31 will efliect rotation of the shaft 32 and thereby simultaneously rotate both the blower impeller 36 and the pump impeller 12. Rotation of the blower impeller will draw air through the conduit 74 into the intake 30 and thence through the inlet opening 22 and into the inlet side of said blower. From said blower it will be discharged into the chamber 38 and against the battles 41 and 42 where said baflles are used. Any droplets entrained within said air will be largely gathered on said bafiles and will be thence permitted to drip into the tank 1. The air discharged from said blower, at least in part freed from said droplets, will then pass downwardly around the skirt 37 and outwardly through the opening 39.

It will be observed that in this embodiment the air stream exiting from the chamber 38 will travel through substantially a 180 degree curve to reach the opening 39. This sharp change in direction will tend to separate the entrained droplets from said air stream and, since said droplets are already traveling in the direction of the liquid body in the reservoir, they will continue to do so and be thereby returned to said liquid body. Thus, between the action of said battles and the change in direction of said air stream from horizontally to downwardly, a major part of the droplets are separated from the air stream and are returned to the liquid body in the reservoir for recycling.

If desired, a further conduit indicated schematically by the broken lines 77 may be afltxed to the outlet 39 for conducting such air to a further exhaust, such as to the outside atmosphere.

Simultaneously, the pump draws liquid from within the tank 1 to its inlet and impells it outwardly to the outlet pipe 11 and into the conduit 71 by which it is conducted to the pipe 72 and thence discharged against the face of the grinding wheel 61. From this point the liquid travels by gravity downwardly into the pan 68 and thence through the conduit 73 back to the tank 1.

In this embodiment, where the blower and pump are to be reversible as above described, the center lines of both of the blower and pump outlets are arranged parallel with a radius of the respective impellers. This will permit the same operation of the blower and pump units, and within acceptable limits of efiiciency, regardless of the direction of rotation of the impellers. Thus, the motor 31. can be freely reversed without changing the manner of operation of the machine or the direction or velocity of air and/ or liquid flow effected thereby. However, where the apparatus is to be used under such circumstances that no reversing will be involved, its efficiency can be improved by providing the usual tangential discharges for both the blower and the pump.

FIGURE 7 illustrates schematically the association of the apparatus above described with other apparatus with which it is designed to cooperate. Here the motor 31 is connected in parallel with a motor M indicated as driving the grinding wheel 61 and both of said motors are simultaneously operated from the same control panel P. Said control panel is energized from any convenient source by the incoming lines L and L Thus, a single control panel P can be utilized to control both motors and when said control panel reverses the motor M for reversing the rotation of the grinding wheel 61, the motor 31 may also reverse but without changing the operation of the apparatus as above described, particularly Without changing the direction or character of flow of either the air or liquid streams being handled thereby.

While the details of the motor M and the grinding wheel 61 form no part of the present invention and hence may assume any of many known forms, one particular example of a grinding arrangement to which the present invention is applicable is illustrated in application Serial No. 574,728, now Patent No. 2,922,258 assigned to the same assignee as the present application.

Although particular preferred embodiments of the invention have been disclosed above in detail for illustrative purposes it will be understood that variations or modifications of such disclosure, which lie within the scope of the appended claims are fully contemplated.

What is claimed is:

1. In a grinding machine including a rotatable grinding device and a first motor for rotating said device and manually operable circuitry for energizing and for reversing said first motor, and further including a reservoir and pumping means for pumping liquid from a reservoir to a point adjacent said grinding device and discharging same against said grinding device and further including air-handling means for withdrawing droplet laden air from the zone adjacent said grinding device, the improvement in said pumping means and said air-handling means comprising in combination: a pump and means associated therewith for drawing liquid from said reservoir and conducting it to the inlet of said pump; a blower and means associated therewith for withdrawing droplet laden air from the region adjacent the grinding wheel and conducting it to the inlet of said blower; a single shaft supporting the impellers of both said pump and said blower; discharge conducting means defining discharge openings respectively for said pump and for said blower, said discharge openings being aligned with a radius of said pump and said blower respectively whereby said pump and said blower will discharge in the same manner regardless of the direction of rotation thereof, a second motor for driving said shaft and circuitry connecting said second motor for energization simultaneously, and in a polarity identical, with said first motor and through said circuitry whereby a single set of manually controlled elements will operate both of said motors.

2. In a grinding machine including a rotatable grinding device and a first motor for rotating said device and manually operable circuitry for energizing and for reversing said first motor, and further including a reservoir and pumping means for pumping liquid from a reservoir to a point adjacent said grinding device and discharging same against said grinding device and further including airhandling means for withdrawing droplet laden air from the zone adjacent said grinding device, the improvement in said pumping means and said air-handling means comprising in combination: a pump and means associated therewith for drawing liquid from said reservoir and conducting it to the inlet of said pump; a blower and means associated therewith for withdrawing droplet laden air from the region adjacent the grinding wheel and conducting it to the inlet of said blower; a single shaft supporting the impellers of both said pump and said blower; discharge conducting means defining discharge openings re spectively for said pump and for said blower; a second motor for driving said shaft and circuitry connecting said second motor for energization simultaneously with said first motor and through said circuitry whereby a single set of manually controlled elements will operate both of said motors.

3. A compact apparatus for impelling a liquid from a reservoir to a point of use and returning a major portion of said liquid to said reservoir, comprising: a container having bottom and side walls defining a reservoir; a partition mounted on said container and located above said bottom wall and dividing said container into a lower compartment and an upper compartment; a pump including a rotatable impeller disposed within said lower compartment; a blower including wall means above said partition defining a scroll having a horizontally directed discharge opening and a downwardly facing inlet opening communicating with said reservoir for discharging by gravity into said reservoir the liquid collected in said scroll; a blower impeller disposed within said scroll; a hood having a horizontal upper wall located above said blower and having a downwardly extending wall located in front of said discharge opening and extending below said scroll and toward said bottom wall, the lower edge of said downwardly extending wall being spaced from said aoaasao bottom wall and from said side wallsto define therewith anexit; opening for the gas discharged by said blower; bafile means under said hood and in the path of gas discharged from said discharge opening; an electric motor mounted on said upper wall of said hood and having a vertical shaft extending through said blower, said partition and into said pump, said pump impeller and said blower impeller being fixed to said motor shaft for rotation therewith around a common vertical axis; means connecting the outlet of said pump to a point of use and means connecting the inlet of said blower to said point of use.

4. The apparatus defined in claim 3 wherein the discharge openings of both said pump and said blower are arranged on parallel, horizontal axes respectively aligned radially with respect to the impellers of said pump and said blower.

5. An apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said Wall means of said blower includes an inlet side plate located above and substantially parallel with said partition, said side plate and said partition defining a chamber communicating with said downwardly facing inlet opening;

wherein said partition has openings therethrough communicating betweensaid chamber and said reservoir; and.

means; connecting said chamber to said point of use;

6. An apparatus according to claim 3 wherein said blower scroll and said pump have outletopenings directed radially away from said vertical shaft so that said blower impeller and said pump impeller can discharge through their outlet openings With substantially equal efiect regardless of the direction of rotation of said impellers.

7. An apparatus according to claim 3' wherein said blower, said pump, said motor, said hood and said partition are connected together in an assembly which is removably supported upon said container so that said pump extends down into the reservoir and so that said assembly can be lifted out of and away from said reservoir.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATESPATENTS 1,101,171 Fischer June 23, 1914 1,455,187 Brown May 15, 1923 2,233,568 Wilhide Mar. 4, 1941 2,276,824 Caruthers Mar. 17, 1942 2,711,620 Shelby June 28, 1955 2,742,974 Landgraf Apr. 24, 1956 

